3 reforms for the war on drugsEric Holder, America’s first African-American attorney general, and his boss, Barack Obama, the first black president, haven’t been shy about pointing out racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Racial profiling? It’s real, they say. State “stand your ground” laws? Obama says they don’t work for minorities. Yet both have been conspicuously absent when it comes to redressing racial disparities in their own home turf, the federal gove...

Walmart talk ends — time to voteScatter shooting while wondering whatever happened to Jim “Dandy” Mangrum. • • • Editor’s note: Saturday was the last day The Courier will publish letters to the editor about the proposed Walmart Neighborhood Market and the zoning election. The Courier will publish letters following the election discussing the outcome of the vote. After months and months of talking about a proposed new Walmart Neighnorhood Market that could be built in western...

Expanding manufacturing in ArkansasI’ve participated in lots of job announcements as governor. The ones that seem to generate the most buzz and excitement are those that welcome a new business to Arkansas. I certainly understand that feeling. When a new company announces it will invest in our state, it’s a sign of approval and confidence from another part of the country or the world. These are indications of the continued growth of Arkansas’ positive business reputation that we...

Race will put Arkansas center stageIn another era and in different circumstances, this column might have begun with, “No sooner had Rep. Tom Cotton announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate Tuesday than his opponent, Sen. Mark Pryor, began attacking his record.” But Arkansas will be at or near the center of the political universe in 2014, so it happened sooner than that. The Pryor campaign released a statement the week before Cotton’s announcement declaring that Arkansa...

On My WayI grew up in Morrilton and recently moved back there. I like living in a small town while still being pretty close to larger towns like Russellville and Conway. Growing up, I would often come to Russellville on the weekends to eat out, shop, bowl, go to the movies or visit family. Many of my relatives still live in Russellville. So, I was very excited when I got a job reporting for The Courier. My dad always told me, “Find a job you love and y...

Starring in your own ‘Truman Show’?Two weeks ago, I returned from my 10th visit to Cuba. Cubans are friendly and hospitable, but some are like Jim Carrey in “The Truman Show.” In the 1998 movie, Truman Burbank is an unborn, unwanted child adopted by a corporation to star in a unique television show. From birth and even inside the womb before delivery, every moment of Truman’s life for 30 years has been broadcast 24/7 to a global audience. His hometown is a sound stage under a h...

Communities need bookcase projectsIt’s been said, “a new idea is fragile, as it can be killed by a sneer, a yawn or a raised eyebrow on the right person’s forehead.” Personally, I know this is true as I have seen it many times in my more than 40 years as a writer, columnist, speaker and educational consultant. In reality, good ideas only thrive and succeed, first, if they are worthy and, second, if the person who has the idea is so committed they will not take “No” for an answ...

McDaniel free to interpret lawNot running for governor has made Dustin McDaniel a better attorney general. That’s written in response to an opinion issued last week by his office saying that schools cannot be licensed as their own private security firms so they can arm and train selected staff members. I don’t like the opinion. I think schools should be able to decide whether or not to do that, but McDaniel’s job isn’t to decide good policy from bad. It’s to interpret the ...

Service is as service doesThe notion of service surfaces repeatedly in Scripture. For instance, Jesus observed: “No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matt. 6:24). The term translated Money embraces possessions of whatever sort. While possessions can serve a legitimate purpose, they should not be made an end in themselves. It was likely with this in mind that Andrew Carnegie, who advocated the accumulation of wealth, cautioned that a perso...

Another round of newspaper cuts — and a toastIn 1993, during my second day on the job at The Plain Dealer, I noticed a dime taped to the top of a computer I shared with veteran reporter Lou Mio. “What’s that about?” I said, pointing to the coin. Lou smiled and, with a sweep of his hand, gestured to all the other dimes taped on computers throughout the newsroom’s metro department. An editor on the city desk, Lou explained, had said, loudly, two years earlier, “Reporters are a dime a dozen...

School district may go ahead with plan to arm staffAfter initially showing some common sense in reaction to an adverse attorney general’s opinion, Clarksville school officials are apparently going to challenge an interpretation that says the district can’t be licensed as a private security company to train and arm its employees. You’d think the school officials would have sought legal counsel before they embarked on a novel plan to put guns in the hands of a couple dozen teachers and staff mem...

A good month for Mike RossThere’s no way around it. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross had an excellent July. The former 4th District congressman is now sitting with a campaign chest full of cash and a clear path to the nomination after his primary rival dropped out of the race. That is remarkable considering only a few months ago Ross was not even a candidate. As 2012 closed, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel was considered the favorite in the Democrats’ plan...

Commissioner talks zoning issueRussellville has an important special election on August 13th to vote on whether to allow a Walmart Neighborhood Market to be built at the corner of West Main Street and South Vancouver Avenue. I serve as one of nine commissioners on the Russellville Planning Commission. The commission studied and deliberated this particular application for months. I thought it might be helpful to the voters to provide some background information on this issue...

Forgotten warThis July 27th marked 60 years since the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, essentially ending the Korean War. It is sometimes referred to as “The Forgotten War,” as it was often overshadowed by the more immediate memories of Vietnam, Desert Storm and the 50th anniversary commemorations of World War II. With four-million casualties, however, those who served in Korea certainly have not forgotten their shared experiences on the battlefi...

UACCM offers something for everyoneMORRILTON — The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton offers technical, career and transfer degrees as well as adult education and workforce education. The campus draws approximately 2,300 credit students each semester and 1,000 non-credit students each year through workforce training, community education, and adult education programs. Serving six counties in Central Arkansas, UACCM is a vibrant commuter campus with ample parki...

Hunting for signatures, one at a timeIt’s an overcast Saturday morning, and Frank Gilbert, 63, and Elizabeth Russell, 29, are spending it at Little Rock’s River Market. Unlike many of the rest of the market-goers, however, they’re looking for names, not bargains. The two are members of the Libertarian Party, and they along with other volunteers and professional canvassers are collecting 10,000 signatures to get their party on the ballot for 2014 elections. Under Arkansas law, the...

The Weekly Post: A trip to the beachWASHINGTON D.C. — I must apologize for my two-week absence from this column. Work, other writing projects and weekend forays into the city have ensured to keep me busy. This will be my second-to-last column for the summer, and I’m going to spend it talking about the most prosaic, mundane topic one can think of — the weather. While my friends and family complain about the heat in Arkansas — a quick look at the weather said Friday’s high was 96 ...

Wings and thingsThe announcement Russellville was getting a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant earlier this year meant two things were certain about my upcoming football season. I would get the opportunity to watch every Green Bay Packers game, and many deep-fried chicken parts would be devoured while doing so. I was told construction would be complete in November, but I can’t, for the life of me, remember where I heard this. As the summer marches closer to fall, ...

A terrible thing to wastePaul’s letter to Titus details the function of church leaders who are called to develop additional leaders. Titus 1:10-16 points out some dangers that a church leader should look out for, “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. 12 One of themselves, ...

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Pastor Steve EllisonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

‘Abide with me’Henry Lyte, a Scottish preacher, was afflicted with the dreaded disease of tuberculosis. Shortly before his death in 1847 he wrote a poem entitled, “Abide With Me” and set it to the music of a popular song. He died just three weeks after its completion. The hymn is a prayer for God to remain present through the storms, trials and changes of life as well as through the transition of death. The opening line alludes to Luke 24:29, “Abide with us:...